The Wedding
by only here in your arms
Summary: Clare has been dreading her mother's wedding and also, Jake being a constant presence hasn't been helping. But a surprise waits for her at the wedding and finally, Clare comes to terms with her new family situation with a little help from Eli. ONE-SHOT


**Okay, this idea hit me hard and I had to do it. Took a break from finishing up summer work to write this.**

**This isn't likely to happen, I know, but cut me some slack. I'm an Eclare shipper always. The ending is rushed, I know, but I can't help myself. Eclare lives!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

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><p>Clare Edwards sat at a picnic table outside of Degrassi. It was lunch time and she had her food in front of her but she was in no mood to eat. Tomorrow, her mother was getting married and forced Clare into helping her plan the wedding.<p>

"_Clare, what do you think of a backyard wedding? Oooh, or maybe the cabin?"_

"_Clare, would the guests like seafood too?_

"_Clare, would Glen like this color?"_

Clare was still not okay with the fact that her mother was already marrying someone else. She wasn't mad about Glen. He was a nice enough guy and treated her mother well but she would have reacted the same way if it was anyone. But also the fact that Glen happened to be her now _ex boyfriend_'s father may have contributed to it. Jake would be her step brother tomorrow and soon they would be living together. If awkward had a picture then it'd be the breakfast table at the Edwards-Martin house in the mornings.

"Do you have a grudge against your food?"

Eli was sliding into the seat in front of her and he smirked. "You were staring at it intently. Made me think you were trying to make it disappear with your mind."

Clare cracked a smile unwillingly and turned her head down so he wouldn't see. But it didn't get past him. "Hey it worked!" he said happily. Finally she looked up and sighed, her head tilting to the side.

"What's wrong?" Eli asked.

"The wedding's tomorrow," she groaned.

"Ah," Eli tilted up his chin. "Ready to be the maid of honor?"

"I'm not even ready to be at the wedding, let alone be part of it," Clare put her head on the table and mumbled, "Do you think I could fake sick?"

"I'll let you borrow some Ipecac," Eli joked.

Clare started laughing genuinely as she picked up her head, keeping her chin on the table. "Maybe you should come over and put it my drink right before I walk down the aisle."

"But I'll have to make sure it's _your_ drink. Wouldn't want your mom or Jake's dad getting it, that'd be BAD."

After prom, Eli and Clare managed to start a healthy friendship. While Adam stayed at the hospital, both of them would walk to the hospital together and leave at the same time with Eli walking Clare home. When Adam was released from the hospital, they went to the Torres house almost every day. Clare watched Adam and Eli battle at video games and thanked God whenever Katie was there too. She and Katie were amusedly bored together as the boys screamed at whatever game they were playing.

"So…did you and your mom ever talk about it?"

Clare shook her head. "All she wanted to do was plan her wedding. I told you over the summer that I'd rather be at the Torres house than mine, even if I was being forced to watch hours of video games."

"Hey, we asked you if you wanted to play every single day and you said no," Eli shrugged.

"I know, I know," Clare rolled her eyes. "But the days not being with you guys meant I was helping my mom against my will."

"Did you…talk to your dad at all?" Eli asked cautiously.

"No," she sighed. "He's not coming to the wedding either. Not that my mom really really wants him there either. It's just all messed up. My mom's marrying some other guy less than a year after her divorce. You'd think she'd be more cautious about going into a relationship and marriage but no, she's doing this."

"Hey guys!"

Clare and Eli turned their heads and saw Adam and Fiona heading towards them and they each happily slid down their benches to make room for the two.

"We still on for hair and makeup tomorrow?" Fiona asked Clare as she sat down beside her.

"Of course," Clare smiled. "Wouldn't trust anyone else to actually make me look pretty for once."

"You're always beautiful," Eli told her sincerely and Clare looked over to him slowly. He smiled a bit, his lips turning to the side as it usually did before he smirked, and Clare started blushing.

Even after establishing a friendship, Eli never failed to make Clare blush.

"So…wedding's tomorrow?" Adam asked slowly, weary of the moment that just happened between his two best friends. "Isn't it supposed to rain?"

"Yeah and we're hoping it just holds out until the ceremony is over and the reception can just be moved into their cabin. It's large enough so it won't be a problem but my mom really wanted to have an outdoor wedding. Didn't think about the possibility of bad weather but that's my mom, not thinking of other things as she's focused on something else," Clare ranted mindlessly. She picked at the bread of her sandwich and didn't see Adam, Eli, and Fiona exchanging looks.

Giggling and laughing sounded nearby and all four heads turned to the source. Jake and Alli were walking together towards the school from the parking lot and Jake glanced over to the table and his smile died down. Clare turned away quickly, tongue in ear, and angrily ripped the crust off her sandwich.

"Please tell me he doesn't bring her over to your place," Fiona asked, scoffing as she continued to watch Jake and Alli. "The girl sure doesn't understand the girl code."

"He doesn't, thank God," Clare sighed in relief. "If he did then I don't care what time it is, I'm leaving the house and going to The Dot or something. Oh and guess what? She'll be at the wedding. This morning Jake announced that he's bringing Alli as his date."

Eli and Adam winced, both of them sitting back in their seats. "Ouch," Adam commented. "I'm sorry. Are you bringing a date?"

"Well I asked Fiona if she could come with me but she has to meet up with her mom after she does my hair and makeup," Clare answered.

"I wish I could stay, I _love_ weddings, but one, it's an outside wedding and two, there's bugs everywhere there. Noooo thanks," Fiona replied while shuddering.

"It's fine, at least the cabin is big enough that I can just get away from the reception when I want. The wedding will be over soon enough," Clare tried to think positively but it didn't work. "But seeing Jake at my house until he goes off to college…ugh!" She clenched her fists and breathed deeply. "_Not going to freak out. Not going to freak out._"

"How about on Sunday I take you out shopping?" Fiona offered. "Or maybe you could come over after the wedding, stay over, we'll spend Sunday together?"

"Thanks but church…"

"Well you can still sleep over, go to church, come back to my place and we'll go shopping! Come on Clare, with Holly J officially gone to Yale I need a shopping buddy! Plus we must accessorize you. You look amazing in red but that heart sweater is not cute," Fiona pointed at the sweater Clare was wearing and Clare looked down and frowned.

"Oh," she said sadly. "I guess we can go shopping…my mom won't care. She'll be going to her honeymoon anyways."

"Great!" Fiona happily exclaimed. The bell rang and the four of them headed back into the school. Adam, Eli, and Clare said goodbye to Fiona as they approached their English class and they took their seats and waited for the next bell.

"Hey Clare," Eli whispered. He sat behind her in class, different from the year before.

Clare leaned her head back and said, "What?"

"If you ever need to get out of the house, just call me and we'll do something together. The Dot gets boring after a while."

Clare smiled to herself, happy she hadn't turned her head around to him. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

It seemed with every passing day, she and Eli were getting more and more comfortable with each other and back to before they were even dating. Around the time of the Romeo and Juliet project. The back and forth sarcastic banter, making Clare blush, the smirks, it was back. Clare couldn't be happier about it but with every sweet moment, she wished she was with Eli again. But she couldn't go back down that road, at least not now. She and Jake have been broken up for two months now and she felt like a hypocrite even thinking about being with Eli again. She had yelled at her mother for marrying someone so quickly. Clare felt like even wanting to be with Eli again made her a hypocrite.

After the school day was over and she said her goodbyes to Adam and Eli, she walked home alone. It would be the last time she would be talking back to her house and Jake wasn't living there. During the honeymoon, Jake would be bringing his things over to her…now their…house and getting settled into his new room, right beside Clare's. Now the shopping date with Fiona didn't seem so bad anymore.

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><p>"Okay, I'm finished."<p>

"I don't look hideous do I?"

"Clare Edwards, you underestimate me! You look beautiful. Look in the mirror."

"I didn't look at the color of the eyeshadows you used. I'm a little scared."

"Well you're going to have to look at yourself at some point!"

Clare finally opened her eyes and looked into her vanity and her jaw dropped at the sight. She had champagne colored eyeshadow all over her lid, glittery white in the inner corners, and a very thin line of eyeliner at her lashes. Fiona also applied a pink blush on her cheeks and Clare actually felt beautiful.

"Your eyes pop more when you have some glitter near your tear ducts, not that you need your eyes to pop more. You look amazing Clare, don't think otherwise," Fiona leaned down near Clare's shoulder and smiled at her in the mirror. "The maid of honor will steal the show."

Fiona left soon after and Clare made her way back up the stairs, ready to grab her heels and purse, when Jake emerged from his room, fiddling with his tie. They stopped in their tracks and looked at each other.

After several moments, Jake sighed and dropped his hands. "Do you know how to tie a tie because I can't for the life of me?"

Clare walked over to him and started to fix his tie. She had learned how to so that she could do it for her dad when she was younger. She remembered standing on a chair just so she was tall enough to reach up to him.

Without saying a word or looking at him, Clare tied Jake's tie and fixed his collar for him. Once finished, she stepped back and finally looked at him. She didn't want to carry on a grudge forever. But she couldn't help but feel extremely uncomfortable with the situation. She had kissed him, snuck him into her room when her mom wasn't home, and even said she loved him. Now in just a few hours he would be her step-brother and he was hanging out with her now ex-best friend.

Clare started to walk back to her room when Jake stopped her.

"I know that things are awkward right now," he began. "But I hope they won't be later on. I'm sorry…things happened this way. But things happen for a reason, right?"

Clare said nothing but just smiled a little at him and walked back into her room. She sat on her bed and started putting on her heels. With one final look at the mirror, she grabbed her dressed which was still in its dry cleaning bag and she walked downstairs and found Jake already waiting on the couch.

"Do you want to head over now?" Jake asked while gazing at his watch. "We'd be a little early but better than late."

"Yeah, sure," Clare answered and walked out the front door and waited at Jake's truck for him to unlock the door. Once he did she climbed inside and laid her dress against the seat between her and Jake.

Once they were on the road to the cabin, awkward silence filled the truck. Clare just looked out the window, her hand under her chin, and she thought about the wedding. It would be over soon, she thought. She just had to make it through the next few hours and then she'd be with Fiona who would undoubtedly make her forget.

"Look, Clare, I—"

"Can we save this conversation for later? Please, I'm not…I just don't want to talk about this today, okay? I know, my mom is happy, your dad is happy, you're happy, everyone's happy and that's what matters but I don't want to talk right now," Clare talked so quickly that she was out of breath after ranting. She pressed her hand to her forehead softly, remembering that Fiona had applied some light foundation on her face.

"I was going to tell you that Alli's not coming," Jake said slowly. "She thought that it would be a good idea to avoid coming and bracing the awkward and I agreed. Plus I didn't want to make this day harder for you. I know you're still upset about—"

"I'm upset about my mom moving on, nothing else," Clare snapped. She wanted Jake to know that she was over their breakup. She wasn't upset about it. This was about her mother. Everything was about her mother.

"Okay," Jake gave up. "You…look nice."

Clare bowed her head a little, embarrassed that she was being such a drama queen. She finally turned her head to him and said, "So do you. I'm glad Glen forced you to wear a plain dress shirt instead of your plaid."

"Hey!"

Finally, the tension was cut and Clare felt comfortable again. She wasn't completely okay with the situation yet but overcoming the awkwardness at this moment meant it could be overcome later on. Obviously if Jake agreed for Alli not to come it meant that he still cared about Clare, but not in that way anymore. It would take a long time to adjust to their step-sibling situation but trying was important. This was them trying.

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><p>"Ready for this?"<p>

"Don't let me trip."

"Maybe I will, just because you said it."

"I'll rip every single one of your plaid shirts. Did you forget that I know where you live?"

"Touché."

They weren't being forced to walk down the aisle together but because they were maid of honor and best man, and now that they were finally getting along again, they decided to do it for their parents. So after the flower girl, one of Clare's cousins, walked down the aisle, Jake started leading her down the aisle.

They were surrounded by trees and the sky was cloudy but it didn't feel humid. The storm was holding off, it seemed. The ceremony was taking place about a hundred feet away from the cabin, close to the lake. The set up was beautiful and all of the white contrasted with the lush green of the grass and trees. It looked like a fairytale and for the first time, Clare was happy with the wedding.

Once she and Jake took their spots at the front, Clare looked down the aisle and saw her mother in her wedding dress, smiling brighter than ever. Seeing that smile on her mom's face, Clare forgot the doubt in her mind. This was her mother's day and her attitude, no matter how against it she was or had been, she couldn't ruin it. So Clare smiled and waited patiently for the ceremony to be over. She handed over the rings and finally when Glen and her mom kissed, the wedding was over and she became relieved.

While the reception was underway, the rain still hadn't come, and no one noticed Clare missing from the party. She was walking along side the lake with her heels in hand. Her bare feet touched the grass and she breathed in the fresh air. It felt a lot cleaner here.

Clare spotted a large rock beside the lake and she sat on top of it, her fingers playing with the ends of her dress as her shoes laid on the grass beside the rock. She looked at the view of the lake and she remembered it as a child. It always seemed so much bigger when she was seven, the last time they were here, and now that she's older, it wasn't so scary anymore.

She didn't know how long she sat there but a voice brought her out of her trance.

"Need some Ipecac?

Clare almost fell off the rock while turning her head to see who it was but she caught herself.

"What are you doing here?"

Eli Goldsworthy, wearing the white dress shirt he had on for prom and also a black skinny tie and black pants, stood there with his hands in pockets. His hair was also slicked back a bit, not at his forehead like usual, and he was smiling.

"So this is what Maid of Honor Clare looks like? I like it. But I think First Date Clare is even better."

Clare smiled at the comment and carefully made her way back down the rock. She walked over to him while smoothing down her pale yellow dress.

"When did you get here?" Clare asked, still amazed that Eli was there. The cabin was an hour and a half away from the city and Clare had no idea that Eli even knew where it was. So it was more than shocking to see him there.

"A few minutes after the ceremony started. I stood by the cabin, didn't want to interrupt. Then I didn't even see you come to the reception and waited. Jake told me he saw you walking by the lake so I came to find you," Eli answered. "I got lost on the way, that's why I was late. But I apologized to your mom and she was happy that I made it anyways. When she called, I—"

"Wait, she called you?" Clare asked in disbelief. "When? Why?"

"She called me yesterday and said that it would be a good idea if I came here for you. She gave me directions but I took a wrong turn."

"I can't believe my mom called you," Clare was still stunned.

"She cares about you Clare. I know it may not seem like that, since she's been so focused on the wedding, but she wants you to be happy like she is," Eli said comfortingly. "I understand why you're upset but she is trying."

"I know, I know, I'm being selfish," Clare mumbled sadly, her chin titling down but Eli placed his finger under her chin and lifted up her head.

He smiled a little bit and took his hand away. "You reacted like any concerned kid would, don't beat yourself up for it."

"My mom does look really happy," Clare replied. "As long as she's happy, right?"

"And you too," Eli told her. "You also matter."

"Well," Clare looked back at the lake and then back to Eli. "Right now…I'm happy. My mom's happy, this place is beautiful, and…you're here."

"And while I'm here," Clare didn't even notice that Eli had been holding something behind his back and when he showed it to her, she gasped. "I noticed that at the last prom…you didn't have a corsage. I think I promised you one for Vegas Night and I had always imagined getting you one for prom and since that didn't happen, I thought why wait for the next dance. Plus, I don't think we should attend dances anymore. Only trouble."

Clare laughed at the very true statement and blushed as Eli put the corsage on her wrist. It was matching the wedding decorations and she eyed him. "How did you know that the wedding flowers were yellow roses?"

"Fiona was telling me that she saw your dress for the wedding a week ago and said it was yellow. The lady at the store said the safest bet would be to get a rose. I planned on giving it to you at your house while Fiona helped you get ready but since your mom asked me to come, I thought why not give it to you here," Eli put his hands back in his pockets as Clare admired the flower now resting on her wrist.

"You didn't have to do this," Clare told him sincerely. "I must've sounded so dumb whining about everything and you didn't have to listen to me but you did and I—"

Eli cut her off with a very short kiss but was still leaning his head close to hers. He smirked and said, "You know that you talk a lot, right?"

"Do you know of a way you could shut me up?" Clare grinned back, biting her lip slightly.

"Well…I don't know…" Eli leaned down to kiss Clare, seemingly, but he stopped right before pressing his lips to hers. "I could always push you into the lake, that'd shut you up," he whispered teasingly.

"Just shut up, and kiss me?" Clare said to him, her patience waning.

"Always so demanding," Eli joked and a hand went to Clare's cheek and finally kissed her deeply. Clare felt lightheaded and her knees started to shake as she felt her breath being taken away and Eli put his free arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

When they pulled away, Eli ran his thumb across Clare's cheek. "The fact that you have blush on makes you look like you're even blushing more," he commented.

Clare pressed her hand to her other cheek, trying to cool it down. "I knew I should have stopped Fiona from doing that," she muttered while she put the back of her hand against her cheek.

"I never said I didn't like it," Eli said. "Come on, Blushing Clare could even be better than First Date Clare. Blushing Clare is more frequent."

Clare felt a drop of water fall on to her head and she looked up, the clouds looking darker than before. "We should go inside. Unless you want Maid of Honor Clare to become Soaked Maid of Honor."

"Wait, before we go," Eli pulled her back, her body colliding against his, and he kissed her again for a few seconds before taking her hand and walking her up the hill and to the cabin.

When they entered the cabin, a slow song was playing and people were slow dancing to the music. Eli was about to pull Clare onto the dance floor with him when they both saw Jake standing at the side of the room awkwardly.

"Maybe I should…," Clare said, not knowing how to finish the sentence, and looked back to Eli.

"How about you dance with him?" Eli suggested. "If you can dance with him now, seeing him at your house won't mean a thing."

Clare took Eli's suggestion and after a comforting tug of the hand and Eli kissing her cheek, Clare walked over to Jake.

Jake smiled a bit at the sight of her walking by and she said, "Do you…wanna dance?"

"You sure?" Jake raised a brow. "It's still a little weird."

"I know but…we didn't get our parents a wedding gift and maybe showing them that we're getting along no matter what could be it?"

Jake looked away smiling and finally took Clare's hand and brought her to the dance floor. Clare made sure to catch her mom's attention, showing her and Glen that she and Jake were getting along, and Helen and Glen smiled at them.

But after a song, Jake and Clare pulled away from each other slowly, their faces scrunched up a bit.

"This is more awkward than I thought," Jake said to her.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Never again."

"Yeah," Jake laughed. "But thanks for the dance. Nice to know that…we won't be weird around each other."

Clare walked away after exchanging a hug with her now step-brother and found Eli sitting at a table, texting on his phone.

"Awkward," Clare chuckled while taking the seat beside Eli's. "But I'm glad it cut all tension. We talked earlier but now that it's official, that was a nice way to officially make amends."

"Good," Eli said happily. "Fiona wants me to tell you that she's looking forward to you coming over to her place. She asked if I wanted to come with but I said that you girls should just have your girl's night."

"Well how considerate," Clare teased. "But what should we do with the rest of our time together before I make my escape to Casa Coyne?"

"I can think of something," Eli leaned in slowly and Clare's lips tilted to him but Eli got off his seat, pulling Clare with him, and he brought her to the middle of the dance floor as another slow song played.

"I can't pass up the opportunity to finally have our first dance," Eli smirked, his hands firmly on Clare's waist. "We've missed to many chances, I had to take it."

"Corsage, a dance? You're full of surprises Goldsworthy," Clare tilted her head to the side, looking up at him sweetly.

When the song as over, Clare started to bring her arms down but Eli only pulled her closer. Another song started playing, _Tonight I Love You_.

"I like First Dance Clare," Eli said with lightness in his voice. "But can Second Dance Clare also make an appearance?"

"And Third, And Fourth…" Clare answered and their bodies continued to sway back and forth together on the dance floor.


End file.
